rich311k
Aquarium Advice Addict
Great looking tank, Dan. It is doing tremendously.
Hi-tech planted Conversion - UPDATES - Feb.28.2007
- Thread starter dapellegrini
- Start date
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Glenc
Aquarium Advice Addict
Beautiful tank, just beautiful 
dapellegrini
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Thanks everyone. Here are 3 of the DPs shooting around in a group:
fish 'n' fries
Aquarium Advice Freak
Absolutely amazing! And the DPs are so very cute!
Lonewolfblue
Aquarium Advice Addict
Great looking tank...
kaz
Aquarium Advice Addict
why is the airstone under a outlet of xp3 what does that do?
dapellegrini
Aquarium Advice FINatic
kaz -- I have removed that airstone, but it was there orginally to add oxygen to the water when the lights went out. Placing it under the spraybar helped shoot the bubbles around a bit. In the early days of my setup, the plants weren't putting off enough oxygen for the fish with the CO2 injection. That is no longer a problem for me.
newfound77951
Aquarium Advice Addict
Looks amazing! I'm going to pressurized soon and I can't wait. What is the plant in the center of the tank, a little to the left? Can't tell if it's a sword or a crypt; it has dark green leaves. I'm in need of a plant shaped like that that doesn't get huge.....
dapellegrini
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Toward the front? I think you mean the Crypt Wendtii Green... I was just thinking that my crypts are getting rather large, but nothing like a sword... yet.
newfound77951
Aquarium Advice Addict
The one right in front of the Alternanthera....it might be a crypt....I just like it!
dapellegrini
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Yep. That's my crypt wendtii green...
dapellegrini
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Well, following the ** NEW CHAPTER ** theme I have continued my cut backs.
The last major pruning seemed like A LOT:
But within two weeks here I was again:
So, a bit frustrated, I pulled out most of the plants and did a serious trimming, sorting and replacement. I got rid of my R. Walichii since it was all but dead anyways, dumped the L. Peruensis after deciding that the submerged form is just not all that, chucked my apon ulvaceus and serious trimmed back my apon boivinianus as they are both just too big...
I also started to uproot and throw out some of my Val. They have also gotten huge and sent runners out all over the place. I got rid of two huge mother plants, and noticed that a few of these have blooms on them, which I have never seen before:
Cut back my pennywort and hygro by about 90%, reduced my r. rotundifoliaby +50%.
During the whole process I felt like my 4-year old, thinking: this is my favorite plant, and this is my favorite plant, and this is my favorite plant
Finally decided on the Alternanthera reineckii and L. Repens as my favorites for now.
Well, it is not pretty to look at IMO, but I think it will look better after a few days letting things fill in. The R. rotundifolia (can't really see it but it is all along the back wall) and l. repens needs to straighten out a bit, etc. In the end, I didn't have the heart to completely get rid of some things, so some areas are cluttered with trimmings (right side mostly) that I couldn't get rid of...
Actually got a clear pic of the kuhli loach this morning
I guess it is kind of nice seeing to the back of the tank...
I had to transplant a number of small crypts that have been getting big in the foreground. I hope they don't go melting on me...
I think the l. repens will look a lot better once it straightens out. It is used to being choked out by other plants:
Oh ya, and I flipped this piece of wood over. I am really hoping that my mermaidweed takes a foot hold now with a lot more space and light. I also pulled one of the spraybars off and replaced it with a jet-head. Getting surface movement now, but I am going to play around with it a bit:
The last major pruning seemed like A LOT:
But within two weeks here I was again:
So, a bit frustrated, I pulled out most of the plants and did a serious trimming, sorting and replacement. I got rid of my R. Walichii since it was all but dead anyways, dumped the L. Peruensis after deciding that the submerged form is just not all that, chucked my apon ulvaceus and serious trimmed back my apon boivinianus as they are both just too big...
I also started to uproot and throw out some of my Val. They have also gotten huge and sent runners out all over the place. I got rid of two huge mother plants, and noticed that a few of these have blooms on them, which I have never seen before:
Cut back my pennywort and hygro by about 90%, reduced my r. rotundifoliaby +50%.
During the whole process I felt like my 4-year old, thinking: this is my favorite plant, and this is my favorite plant, and this is my favorite plant
Finally decided on the Alternanthera reineckii and L. Repens as my favorites for now.
Well, it is not pretty to look at IMO, but I think it will look better after a few days letting things fill in. The R. rotundifolia (can't really see it but it is all along the back wall) and l. repens needs to straighten out a bit, etc. In the end, I didn't have the heart to completely get rid of some things, so some areas are cluttered with trimmings (right side mostly) that I couldn't get rid of...
Actually got a clear pic of the kuhli loach this morning
I guess it is kind of nice seeing to the back of the tank...
I had to transplant a number of small crypts that have been getting big in the foreground. I hope they don't go melting on me...
I think the l. repens will look a lot better once it straightens out. It is used to being choked out by other plants:
Oh ya, and I flipped this piece of wood over. I am really hoping that my mermaidweed takes a foot hold now with a lot more space and light. I also pulled one of the spraybars off and replaced it with a jet-head. Getting surface movement now, but I am going to play around with it a bit:
drobertson
Aquarium Advice FINatic
As usual, everything looks GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!
zenkatydid
Aquarium Advice FINatic
wow, what a stunning tank - that is exactly what i am aiming for... eventually!
i have moved crypts around a few times in my tank to spread the plantlets, and they have never melted. but my boyfriend's tank in the room next door melt if you look at them funny - exact same plants. i don't know what determines their response.
i have moved crypts around a few times in my tank to spread the plantlets, and they have never melted. but my boyfriend's tank in the room next door melt if you look at them funny - exact same plants. i don't know what determines their response.
LandGhoti
Aquarium Advice FINatic
OMG, I am just going to be starting a planted tank soon and I'm like 8O looking at yours. It is gorgeous. Great job. I can't wait to try and do that too!
shayfish
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Wow, I have not seen this thread yet. Your tank is beautiful!!
dapellegrini
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Some quick snapshots of a few more creatures.
In the beginning ghost shrimp were added to test the survivability of Red Cherry Shrimp among large clown loaches and a particularly aggressive red tail shark. They survived and have become quite colorful for an otherwise bland creature, though the larger fish had to go.
This photo is enlarged, cropped and adjusted to give a better idea of where their colors are. Ghost shrimp are actually kinda cool:
Marble hatchets were a great addition to the top of the tank. It's been two weeks and no jumpers yet (with no glass top).
Here my farlowella and one of the oto's decided to have a little measurement contest:
In the beginning ghost shrimp were added to test the survivability of Red Cherry Shrimp among large clown loaches and a particularly aggressive red tail shark. They survived and have become quite colorful for an otherwise bland creature, though the larger fish had to go.
This photo is enlarged, cropped and adjusted to give a better idea of where their colors are. Ghost shrimp are actually kinda cool:
Marble hatchets were a great addition to the top of the tank. It's been two weeks and no jumpers yet (with no glass top).
Here my farlowella and one of the oto's decided to have a little measurement contest:
dapellegrini
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Someone was asking me about the "secret sauce" so to speak... Thought this might be helpful to a larger audience:
************************************
No real secrets. Making sure you get the right amount of CO2 into the water is 80%. My tap water is around a pH of 7.9, which I drive down to 6.8 or 6.7. kH is around 120ppm, between 6 and 7dkH.
Dosing is also important, but I kinda make it up as I go. I used to have a naturally high PO4 and only recently started dosing for it. I started to get Green Spot Algae on the glass and a few leaves, tested and was shocked to find it at 0.
Here is my current tank schedule:
Dusk/Dawn Lighting - 108watts 9:00 - 10:00am and 8:00 - 9:00pm (2 hours)
Full Lighting - 324watts - 10:00am - 8:00pm
3x a week:
1 capful (large bottle) of Seachem Flourish Comprehensive for traces (decided I don't like CSM+B)
3x a week:
1/2 to 3/4 tsp of KNO3 (for NitrAte)
1/4 tsp of K2SO4 (for Potassium)
a pinch to 1/8 tsp of KH2PO4 (for Phosphate)
For the dry ferts, I put them all in a small measuring cup, mix with warm/hot water and let sit for a minute (until it turns clear). Then I pour it in over the higher flow areas to mix it in well.
On PWC day (Saturday), I have started to add Barr's GH Booster (cheap version of Seachem Equilibrium) 1/4 tsp. This adds Calcium and Mg, and also increases the GH of the water by a little bit. I already have very hard water (over 200ppm), but this doesn't seem to cause any problems.
I also re-add my trace and dry ferts, separated by an hour or so after PWC. If I feel like I changed less than 50% of the water and I may add less KNO3.
I now only use test kits if something looks wrong. The only thing in the last few weeks was the PO4.
HTH
************************************
************************************
No real secrets. Making sure you get the right amount of CO2 into the water is 80%. My tap water is around a pH of 7.9, which I drive down to 6.8 or 6.7. kH is around 120ppm, between 6 and 7dkH.
Dosing is also important, but I kinda make it up as I go. I used to have a naturally high PO4 and only recently started dosing for it. I started to get Green Spot Algae on the glass and a few leaves, tested and was shocked to find it at 0.
Here is my current tank schedule:
Dusk/Dawn Lighting - 108watts 9:00 - 10:00am and 8:00 - 9:00pm (2 hours)
Full Lighting - 324watts - 10:00am - 8:00pm
3x a week:
1 capful (large bottle) of Seachem Flourish Comprehensive for traces (decided I don't like CSM+B)
3x a week:
1/2 to 3/4 tsp of KNO3 (for NitrAte)
1/4 tsp of K2SO4 (for Potassium)
a pinch to 1/8 tsp of KH2PO4 (for Phosphate)
For the dry ferts, I put them all in a small measuring cup, mix with warm/hot water and let sit for a minute (until it turns clear). Then I pour it in over the higher flow areas to mix it in well.
On PWC day (Saturday), I have started to add Barr's GH Booster (cheap version of Seachem Equilibrium) 1/4 tsp. This adds Calcium and Mg, and also increases the GH of the water by a little bit. I already have very hard water (over 200ppm), but this doesn't seem to cause any problems.
I also re-add my trace and dry ferts, separated by an hour or so after PWC. If I feel like I changed less than 50% of the water and I may add less KNO3.
I now only use test kits if something looks wrong. The only thing in the last few weeks was the PO4.
HTH
************************************
dapellegrini
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Ok, time for a few updates... The last large trimming I did proved to hold me over for a couple of weeks solid. Here we were on the 17th of Dec:
And by the 31st we were here:
Toward the end of the year I came down with appendicitis and was unable to attend to things as usual... After a fair amount of neglect, the only real problem that I saw when I was well enough to move around was Green Spot, which seems to be the only algae that I haven't figured out yet... I have gone as far as serious OD'ing on PO4, with no luck. I will be reducing the photo period on the tank as a next step.
Nonetheless, most everything was very happy...
Anyways, you will notice that of the 5 foreground plants that I attempted in my substrate (E. Triandra, Glosso, Dwarf Hair Grass, 4-Leaf Clover and Pearlweed), the Pearlweed seems to be the winner. Unfortunately the Glosso and Clover is also doing ok, but the Pearlweed was choking it out.
So I set out to mow the foreground (a new thing for me)... and talk about a mess! I used a small pair of scissors and just kept trimming down. Most of the trimmings floated to the top and I later scooped them out with a net.
Since I was already making a big mess, I decided to make some more big changes. The biggest removal in this round was my jungle val...
Next, my Mayaca, a favorite of my SAE, and thus one of the only unhappy plants in the aquarium, had to go.
I also pulled out my Alternanthera and L. Repens to trim, separate and replant. I did not throw any of this stuff away though:
Finally, I probably removed 3/4 of the R. Rotundifolia.
Once I had it all cleaned out and mostly settled I decided to put some hygro back in there for now to keep the bio-mass up in the tank for now. Here it is after thing settled a bit:
I am not that happy with the scape right now... for a few reasons. For one, it seems a bit empty. Secondly, there seems to me too much red, and finally, I am not happy with the mid-ground… The good news is now I have room to add a few things and try out some new plants to balance out those issues
So a few shots of the tank today along with some random thoughts…
I had to move one of my large Crypts to the back/mid-ground. In its absence, the glosso and pearlweed have found a new spot to fill in. I may end up pulling out the pearlweed altogether, but for now it is my trainer foreground plant…
And while we are top-down, one more quick shot:
A few of the marble hatchets hanging around one of their favorite spots:
Three of the dwarf puffers holding a meeting below… They really wish they could figure out how to eat one of those nerites…
I really wish my Mermaidweed would grow faster…
Not sure how easy it is to breed these dwarf frogs, but they sure are willing to give it a shot:
Like I said lots of RED…
And by the 31st we were here:
Toward the end of the year I came down with appendicitis and was unable to attend to things as usual... After a fair amount of neglect, the only real problem that I saw when I was well enough to move around was Green Spot, which seems to be the only algae that I haven't figured out yet... I have gone as far as serious OD'ing on PO4, with no luck. I will be reducing the photo period on the tank as a next step.
Nonetheless, most everything was very happy...
Anyways, you will notice that of the 5 foreground plants that I attempted in my substrate (E. Triandra, Glosso, Dwarf Hair Grass, 4-Leaf Clover and Pearlweed), the Pearlweed seems to be the winner. Unfortunately the Glosso and Clover is also doing ok, but the Pearlweed was choking it out.
So I set out to mow the foreground (a new thing for me)... and talk about a mess! I used a small pair of scissors and just kept trimming down. Most of the trimmings floated to the top and I later scooped them out with a net.
Since I was already making a big mess, I decided to make some more big changes. The biggest removal in this round was my jungle val...
Next, my Mayaca, a favorite of my SAE, and thus one of the only unhappy plants in the aquarium, had to go.
I also pulled out my Alternanthera and L. Repens to trim, separate and replant. I did not throw any of this stuff away though:
Finally, I probably removed 3/4 of the R. Rotundifolia.
Once I had it all cleaned out and mostly settled I decided to put some hygro back in there for now to keep the bio-mass up in the tank for now. Here it is after thing settled a bit:
I am not that happy with the scape right now... for a few reasons. For one, it seems a bit empty. Secondly, there seems to me too much red, and finally, I am not happy with the mid-ground… The good news is now I have room to add a few things and try out some new plants to balance out those issues
So a few shots of the tank today along with some random thoughts…
I had to move one of my large Crypts to the back/mid-ground. In its absence, the glosso and pearlweed have found a new spot to fill in. I may end up pulling out the pearlweed altogether, but for now it is my trainer foreground plant…
And while we are top-down, one more quick shot:
A few of the marble hatchets hanging around one of their favorite spots:
Three of the dwarf puffers holding a meeting below… They really wish they could figure out how to eat one of those nerites…
I really wish my Mermaidweed would grow faster…
Not sure how easy it is to breed these dwarf frogs, but they sure are willing to give it a shot:
Like I said lots of RED…
Glenc
Aquarium Advice Addict
Your tank is absolutely beautiful. It inspires me every time I see it. I love red plants, my favorite actually. Yours are stunning. Thanks for the inspiration, havn't posted shots of my tanks in a while cause they suck! I'll just keep looking at yours!
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